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"Hard work and getting the jurors to understand the law were the keys" says defense counsel Mike Nichols

© NLF Update

An Ingham County jury deliberated for ten hours on the eve of a holiday weekend before throwing up their collective hands and returning hung. The jurors were asked by the Prosecuting Attorney following a two-day trial to convict a 27-year old man of Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle. The young man faced a maximum of life in prison because he has three felony convictions on his record. "We worked long hours, made sure we were prepared and explained to the jury that it did not matter if they did not like the defendant" said criminal defense attorney and seasoned litigator Mike Nichols. "What mattered was whether the element of knowledge of the status of the vehicle was proved beyond a reasonable doubt".

Judge Beverly Nettles-Nickerson declared the jury hung and Ordered a mistrial at 2:45 on Friday June 30th, 2006. "I was amazed that the jurors stayed out for as long as they did on the eve of a holiday weekend" Nichols said. The Prosecuting Attorney's office now has the option of re-trying the case, which could happen as early as August, entering into plea negotiations or even dismissing the case.

The failure by the jury to convict his client continues a string of successes for Nichols, who is co-counsel in the high-profile murder case "People v Holland". Nichols has had just one conviction in a criminal trial since the fall, 2002.